Not to complain. Not to bring up a touchy subject when there's so much economic gloom to worry about.

But could we talk for a moment about updating Oregon's flag? It won't cost a cent to consider it, and it might be a fun way to get people thinking about what makes Oregon so special. It could even save a few bucks.

10 best flags

New Mexico

Texas

Quebec

Maryland

Alaska

Arizona

Puerto Rico

District of Columbia

Marshall Islands

South Carolina

10 worst flags

New Hampshire

Idaho

Wisconsin

Kentucky

Minnesota

South Dakota

Kansas

Montana

Nebraska

Georgia

Source: North American Vexillological Association, 2001 survey

Our state turns 150 next year: The perfect occasion for Oregonians to fashion a flag as distinctive as the state itself.

Picture the eye-catching symbolism of the great U.S. flag that instantly stands out from miles away. Now picture Oregon's: not so bad up close, but tough to decipher or distinguish at any distance.

Oregon is unique, beautiful and innovative and deserves a flag that is, too. Maybe you like our state flag. Let us know that, too. It deserves respect. But maybe you have some ideas that would make it even better.

Right now one of the few things that sets it apart is its price: roughly twice the cost of other state flags because of its unusual two-sided design.

The front carries the state seal, which looks crisp on stationery, but not on a flag. It's almost impossible to interpret from afar and tough to tell apart from Wisconsin's, Vermont's or a bunch of others that also have a state seal stamped on a blue background.

"It's kind of boring," says Brenda Dirks of Uncle Sam's Flag Shop in Ontario, which sells 50 or so Oregon state flags each year.

The back holds a gold-colored beaver, which many people, including Dirks, like pretty well. But it's so small and nondescript it looks from below like a blob of butterscotch pudding.

As best as anyone can tell, the Legislature hastily devised the flag in the backrooms of Salem 83 years ago.

For the state's birthday, The Oregonian invites you to fashion a flag that fits our state -- a flag of the people that matches the best Oregon has to offer. What makes Oregon special? What says Oregon to you?

Our Web site (oregonlive.com/oregon) has links to a primer on flag design and instructions to submit your best idea. A panel of judges -- citizens and designers -- will pick finalists in December, and then we'll hold a vote for the best one. Of course, we'll include the current flag, too.

Will politicians in Salem adopt a new flag? We don't know. We'll ask them to. It could be a civics lesson for us all.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski loves the present flag, price and all, says his spokeswoman, Anna Richter Taylor. He has heard no one complain about it and will not consider a new design, she says. He has more important priorities.

No doubt. But since we live in a democracy, we want to hear what you think. Got a clever idea for a flag facelift? Or do you agree with the governor?

Don't fret about new spending attached to a new flag: Costly old flags could fly until they wear out and then be replaced with less expensive new ones.

Ours is now the only state flag with a different design on each side. It's basically two flags sewn together. That drives its cost to $80 or more, depending on size, roughly twice the price of other state flags or the U.S. flag.

This means state agencies, school districts, counties and others that fly the flag spend, all together, thousands of dollars more than those in other states. The high cost even dampens the enthusiasm of Oregonians who come into Elmer's Flag & Banner in Northeast Portland excited to buy and fly their state flag, says owner Mike Hale.

(Washington's flag is also pricey, though not as expensive as Oregon's, because George Washington's profile must face the same direction on each side.)

The other drawback of the two-sided flag is that it's heavier and doesn't fly very well, often hanging listlessly next to a flapping U.S. flag, according to flag aficionados. That makes the likable beaver on the back tough to see.

Meier & Frank creation

Oregon in 1925 was among the last of the states at the time to adopt a flag. The Portland postmaster wanted one to send to Washington, D.C. So the Legislature loosely defined the flag's design.

The bill specified: "It shall bear on one side on a navy blue field the state escutcheon in gold, supported by thirty-three gold stars and bearing above said escutcheon the words 'State of Oregon' in gold and below such escutcheon the figures '1859' in gold, and on the other side on a navy blue field a representation of the beaver in gold."

State leaders prevailed on Meier & Frank, Oregon's flagship department store, to make the first flag. The Oregonian in April 1925 featured a photo of the flag held by two Meier & Frank employees who may have been the Betsy Rosses of Oregon: Blanche Cox and Marjorie Kennedy.

"The flag is constructed as beautifully as any flag could be," the attorney general said in the article. He said Meier & Frank "accomplished a difficult task in a splendid manner."

That flag went to an anniversary of the Battle of Lexington in Massachusetts, where Oregon otherwise faced the disgrace of being the only state without a flag flying. The postmaster apparently sent another, slightly different version, to Washington, D.C.

So who designed it?

But it's still unclear how the Legislature dreamed up the design, says Carita Culver, an Ashland historian who researched its origin for a paper to be published in the journal of the North American Vexillological Association. Vexillology, you might know, is the study of flag history and symbolism.

"Whose idea was that to just put a state seal on it and call it a flag?" she asks. "That remains a mystery."

She likes the beaver on the back, which is symbolic of Oregon's early exploration and white settlement, though she thinks it's too small. (She also favors a certain university represented by the industrious rodent.) But putting the seal on the flag is a "misuse of the state seal."

"A state seal is meant to be embossed or printed on documents," she says. "It's too complex to be wafting in the breeze."

The best flags are simple and distinctive, with basic colors and clear symbolism, says Ted Kaye of Portland, treasurer of the Vexillological Association and editor of a guidebook on flag design. He has assisted other states and cities in designing new flags and successfully advocated adoption of a new Portland flag in 2002.

His group ran a flag design survey in 2001, and Oregon barely escaped the 10-worst list, dominated by similar-looking blue flags with state seals on them.

Well-designed flags that celebrate the highlights of a state naturally inspire popularity: For instance, Hale says his Portland store has a hard time stocking enough Texas flags, which are so distinctive that the state's nickname, the Lone Star State, ties into them. The best flags in the survey were bold and unique, including those of New Mexico, Texas, Maryland, Alaska and Arizona.